NPDES Permit

Stormwater entering and exiting Lafayette's storm sewers is regulated by the federal Clean Water Act and Indiana General Stormwater Permit Rule 13.

In 2003, the City of Lafayette was issued a joint National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit as a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The permit requires that Lafayette establish a stormwater quality program to protect public health, existing water uses and aquatic life.

Control Measure Requirements
For each permit term, Lafayette must meet the following minimum control measures:

Construction Site Runoff Control: Develop, implement and manage an erosion and sediment control minimum control measure for construction activities

Good Housekeeping: Pollution prevention for MS4 operations and facilities; evaluate and alter operations internally to ensure a reduction in the pollutants that are generated from municipal operations

Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE): Develop and implement a strategy to detect and eliminate illicit discharges into the MS4 conveyance system; illicit discharges may contain heavy metals, toxins, oil and grease, solvents, nutrients and bacteria, which can pollute local waterways

Post-Construction Runoff Control: Develop, implement and manage a program to address discharges of post-construction stormwater runoff from new development and redevelopment areas

Public Education and Outreach: Inform residents, visitors, public service employees, commercial and industrial facility operators, and construction site personnel of the impacts stormwater runoff can have on water quality, and ways they can minimize their impact on storm water quality

Public Involvement/Participation: Allow opportunities for constituents to participate and provide input in the development and implementation of the stormwater management program

Program Sharing

The City of Lafayette shares its Phase II, NPDES, MS4 permit with Battle Ground, Dayton, Ivy Tech College, Purdue University, West Lafayette and Tippecanoe County. Although it is a joint permit, each community is responsible for the implementation of its own stormwater program.

State/Federal Requirements & MS4

More information on the City's joint MS4 permit, as well as state and federal water quality requirements is available at the following websites: